The Lochford Chronicles

The Noble's Amulet, part 1

Ulver 7, 1275

The next morning, the PCs enjoyed a nice breakfast at The Harpy’s Cry. As the plates were being cleared, they found a slip of parchment under Meiken’s plate. Written on the parchment was the name Ludovic Dufour, and an address in the Starlight District.

The PCs journeyed across the river to the Starlight District and located Ludovic’s shoppe. Ludovic escorted them into a back room – ostensibly to meet in private, but possibly because their presence “didn’t go” with his boutique.

Ludovic had been hired to acquire and magically modify a pendant that belonged to the late Sonalge Beauclaire. He has contracted the Shadowcloaks to acquire the pendant.

Solange had passed away two weeks previously, and is interred in the Beauclaire Mausoleum at the Crown Temple.

On their way to the City Gate, The PCs were met by a Shadwcloaks operative. He told them that the Shadowcloaks would appreciate it if they could retrieve some nobles’ bones, and that that appreciation would be monetary in nature.

They then left Lochford and made their way to the Crown Temple. Upon arriving, they found the Temple grounds to be quite heavily populated with mausoleums. THOKK began banging his sword against the bars of the iron gate. This brought a monk out of the Temple.
The PCs introduced themselves as servants of the Beauclaire family, come to pay their respects to the Lady Solange. The monk obligingly gave them directions to the location of the Beauclaire mausoleum.

They located and entered the mausoleum. Funerary niches lined the walls to both sides, and there was a raised dais in the center of the room. Nearly every surface was intricately carved.

A secret catch was located on the back wall that caused the floor to descend, forming a staircase that let to a larger crypt beneath the mausoleum. The walls of the crypt were lined with even more niches, a statue of a warrior stood against the far wall.

The PCs had just begun to examine the occupants of the crypt when several disembodied hands skittered out of the niches and attacked. With some effort, the PCs managed to destroy the skittering hands.

Filibert examined the statue while the PCs turned their attention to the interred bodies.

The statue moved. Layers of dust fell from the statue, revealing it to be an undead creature.

A brief, pitched battle ensured. The PCs had traded several blows with the undead thing before them when they suddenly found themselves standing outside, in a different part of the Temple grounds.

Too Many Guilds

Ulver 5, 1275

Upon entering The Harpy’s Cry, the PCs were escorted to the common room. Near the hearth sat a lone man. He motioned for them to join him and ordered a round of drinks.

The man introduced himself as Bartrand, a member of the Shadowcloaks. He explained that he was aware that the PCs were in possession of certain items and money that belonged to the Shadowcloaks, taken from a group of brigands at The Nine Horse Hitch. The Shadowcloaks would appreciate the return of their goods, but would be willing to allow the PCs to keep the gold in exchange for a small service.

Yet another criminal organization had recently reared its head in Lochford. Little was known about this organization, except that they were attempting, rather clumsily, to move in on the Shadowcloaks’ territory. Shadowcloak agents reported that the group appeared to be operating from a base in the old sewers under the northern part of the city, and it would be greatly appreciated if the PCs could eliminate these fools before they could cause any real problems.

Bartrand hinted that completing this task could lead to the PCs being accepted into the Shadowcloaks organization.

Meiken brought up the robbery at The Bitter Dwarf, and Bartrand chuckled. He promised the PCs that he would present them with their belated winnings…if they accomplished the task before them.

Ulver 6, 1275

The PCs made heir way north and eventually located a sewer grate in a relatively well concealed location. THOKK opened the gate and the PCs descended into the sewers. The sewers beneath this part of the city were indeed old, and clearly hadn’t been maintained in quite some time.

They lit lanterns and continued north, examining the crumbling walls as they went. At the end of a badly crumbling tunnel, Filibert located a secret door.

As soon as the door was opened, a loud gong was heard. The PCs barely had time to think before crossbow bolts slammed into the wall next to the door.

Content Not Found: meikken leaped into action, bringing her tower shield to the front and providing cover for the rest of the PCs. This cover afforded them the opportunity to take stock of their surroundings and see that the single torch illuminating the chamber was at the bottom of a steep staircase to their right.

Carefully, and with crossbow bolts thudding into Meiken’s shield every few moments, the PCs made their way to the staircase and began to ascend.

At the top of the stairs, the PCs saw a large serpentine figure writhing atop a dais, surrounded by dark smoke. A voice boomed out.

“Who enters the lair of the mighty Draxon?”

When the PCs didn’t answer, a gout of flame shot forth from the serpent’s mouth, narrowly missing the PCs where they stood on the steep staircase.

The PCs hurled the torch from the wall at the serpent and were quite surprised by the hollow wooden “thunk” sound that resulted. This was answered by a crossbow bold=t fired fro the smoke near the serpent.

Serafine summoned an eagle, which she sent into the smoke to locate and attack the crossbowman. THOKK, meanwhile, THOKK rushed forward to flank what he now understood to be nothing more than a cleverly built statue.

Serafine’s eagle successfully located and attacked the crossbowman, taking one of his eyes. He fled down the corridor behind the statue, just before THOKK arrived.

THOKK found a door in the back of the statue and tore it open. His greatsword made short work of the man who suddenly found himself trapped inside.

As the PCs regrouped at the top of the staircase, they heard the sound of stone grinding against stone from behind them. Turning, they saw several small figures running for the door, followed by a taller figure with his hand on his face.

THOKK and Filibert pursued and eventually caught the last of these figures. His still-bleeding eye socket marked him as the crosssbowman.

Filibert held his dagger close to the man’s remaining eye and began to question him. The man claimed that everything was Creigh’s idea: the gang, the kobolds, the dragon – all of it. He insisted that Creigh was the brains of the outfit.

Filibert then stabbed the man in the eye. Blinded, he began screaming mindlessly.

Realizing that he would not be providing any more useful information, THOKK snapped the man’s neck, ending his tortured screaming.

The PCs examined the remaining chambers and found a few trinkets but little else.

On their way back to The Harpy’s Cry, a young boy ran out of a side street and barrelled straight into the PCs before cowering behind THOKK. The PCs asked him what he was running from and he replied “The Babadu!” before running away.

The PCs returned to The Harpy’s Cry, finding Bartrand at the bar in the common room. the PCs assured Bartrand that the deed was done, and the upstart gang would no longer trouble the Shadowcloaks. They also returned the Bonedust that they’d taken from the brigands at The NineHorse Hitch.

Bartrand congratulated them on a job well done and welcomed them as provisional members of the Shadowcloaks. He motioned to another man, who brought him a small leather bag. The bag clinked as he handed it to Bartrand.

“As promised, here are your collective winnings from your recent gambling adventure. We Shadowcloaks may be thieves, but we never steal from our own.”

Lock, Stock, and Three Beaten Muggers

Ulver 5, 1275

While Filibert was out tailing the brigands, the rest of the PCs were enjoying breakfast in the common room of the Nine Horse Hitch. There, they overheard conversations about a group of dead Kobolds found in the street that morning. Some were wondering how they were killed, while others wondered what they were doing inside the city in the first place.

They Stole Our Winnings!

Ulver 4, 1275

The adventure began in The Bitter Dwarf. The PC’s were participants/finalists in a Reign tournament.

When the tournament concluded, Megild (owner of The Bitter Dwarf) opened the chest that held the prize money, only to find that it had been emptied. The only thing on the chest was a gambling chip with the mark of the Shadowcloaks scratched onto it.